Incoming: America's missile shield

The conversation turned Cold War today when Poland and the Czech Republic said they would gladly host two installations -- the first foreign bases -- for America's spectacular, and long-time-coming, missile shield.

Within hours of the two centre-right governments announcing their intention to help the US ward off the threat of Iran and other rogue nations in the Middle East -- "It is in the interests of our countries to host the anti-missile shield,” said Mirek Topolanek, the new Czech Prime Minister -- the Kremlin said it would have to start dusting off some of its old hardware.

“If the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic take such a step... the Strategic Missile Forces will be capable of targeting these facilities if a relevant decision is made,” said General Nikolai Solovtsov, a senior officer in Russia's missile agency.

General Solovtsov added that it would not be difficult to restart the reproduction of short and mid-range missiles that could hit the US bases: “The missiles were dismantled, but the production technology has remained," he said.

Washington has been spending billions of dollars on a network of ships, satellites, lasers and interceptor missiles since 1999, when, alarmed by North Korean tests, the Clinton Administration passed the National Missile Defence Act:

"It is the policy of the United States to deploy as soon as is technologically possible an effective National Missile Defense system capable of defending the territory of the United States against limited ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or deliberate)."

The plan was eagerly taken up by Governor George Bush of Texas in his 2000 presidential election campaign and then pushed by Donald Rumsfeld, until last year, his activist Defence Secretary. Rumsfeld's memorable enthusiasm for the programme, which has cost around $6-8 billion a year, helped drive it through some embarassing tests and questions from experts who said it would never be more than 20 per cent effective.

"Did we have perfection with our first airplane, our first rifle, our first ship?" He told The Washington Post in 2004. "I mean, they'd still be testing at Kitty Hawk, for God's sake, if you wanted perfection."

The European bases, supported by the RAF station at Fylingdales in Yorkshire, are expected to help complete the first, rudimentary missile shield for America by 2012, when the whole project will have cost nearly $90 billion. Poland is expected to host 10 "Ground Based Interceptor" missiles and the Czech Republic a radar base.

America has spared no effort to assure the world that the sending of its missiles to Europe has nothing to do with Russia: the intended victim of its last Star Wars production. But those messages have had little effect, with the shield forming part of President Vladimir Putin's extraordinary dressing down of Washington ten days ago:

"We must react to this," he said, saying that bases in Europe would "completely neutralize'' Russia's own nuclear deterrent: "There will be no more balance of power,'' he said and promised to build new weapons that could defeat the interceptors. Russia has also accused America of overstating Iran's missile capabilities, saying the worst Tehran can offer is a rocket that can fly just 2,000km.

All of which raises the question of whether America will make more enemies building its shield that it ever defeats with an "Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle", the catchy name given to the $20 million bullets that the system fires at the so-called "sweet spots" of incoming missiles. Not that we're complaining. The fantasies, realised and unrealised, of the US Missile Defence Agency and its budget of $8.9 billion this year, make for wild reading: where else do you find a Boeing 747 with a laser mounted on top? A spotting airship flying 65,000ft high?

Comments

[Chris Luzhak]

I think this whole affair could be a diplomatic quid-pro-quo in the offing. The US would be happy not to deploy these systems in Eastern Europe in return for, say, a little more deterrant pressure by Russia on Iran's nuclear ambitions. Considering the decrepit state of the Russian military, it would certainly be preferable to the expense of a new arms race, Putin's fulminations notwithstanding.

[Jessica Tufts, in Milton Keynes]

The missile defense system is just that: a defensive system. A such, it cannot be used to offensively attack Russia. The only thing it threatens, is Russia's and Iran's ability to threaten us with nuclear missiles.

I don't know why Russia insists on clinging to the old view of the West as its enemy. So much good could be achieved if instead, it cooperated with the West on goals such as non-proliferation and free trade.

Making threats against Poland and the Czech Republic is certainly not going to make those countries nostalgic for the day when they were behind the Iron Curtain!

[Frank Swett]

I find General Solovtsov's comments about abandoning the INF treaty and reviving Russian intermediate range missiles almost hilarious if they weren't so tragic. The reason for the Soviet push for the INF in the first place was their fear of the American Pershing II intermediate range missile. With a time of flight of about 9 minutes from Germany to Moscow, and an accuracy the Soviets couldn't match, it hastened the demise of the Soviet system. The Poles and Czechs are quite clear on which side they want to be - with good reason!

[Baran Ugurlu]

A defense system becomes an offensive weapon when your missiles can hit your enemy but his missiles cannot penetrate. This might eliminate the mutual destruction deterrent that have kept the world free of nuclear war for the past 50 years

[Owain Knight]

The American Missile Shield will start another arms race. Previously the "Cold War" existed due to MAD - Mutally Assured Destruction, you fire at us and destroy us, and we'll do the same to you. With a missile shield, then the USA can still launch its own missiles and destroy another country, but the other country cannot do the same to America. This is a destabilising influence. Britain refused to allow the shield to be based here because (Poland and Czech Republic note!), the shield would not have protected us. By the time a missile launch is noted, targetted and destroyed, it would already have hit the UK...America needs the shield in Europe to give its system time to shoot down missiles aimed at America. If America wants to make the world safe from Nuclear Missile attack, place the shield to cover the whole planet, and give each country the tools/ability to operate the shield. Then everyone will be safe from Nuclear Missile or long range ballistic missiles, and everyone will dependent on being friends with their neighbours, as their neghbours are the ones shielding them...call it Mutually Assured Friendship (j/k)

[Trevor payne]

Perhaps as a gesture of goodwill the Russians could be offered a site for an early warning radar / missile interceptor base in the Caribean. On second thoughts, I remember the USA bombed Grenada where a civilian runway was being built by Cuban contractors. So perhaps the right to defence is only applicable to the USA and no other nation.

[Herbert Thornton]

Russia has also been the victim of Islamic terrorism - as in the Moscow theatre and the school in Beslan and the terrorism in Chechnya generally demonstrate. Like the U.S., Russia is also menaced by the possibility of Islamic terrorists acquiring and launching nuclear weapons.

I should have thought that the defence installations were very much in Russia's interest. Indeed, it would make a great deal of sense for the Russians to invite the U.S. to use or share Russian sites for the purpose of their common defence.

[Paul]

If anybody thinks Russia is a friend to the US or that they can be trusted they are badly mistaken. If they want to get into the an arms race that will be fine. The last one brought down the wall!!

[Stephen Krane]

Being a student studying Russian/Eastern European-American Foreign Policy/Relations, I find Russia is grossly exaggerating the threat of a DEFENSIVE missle system. If they feel the need to rush into a new arms race they will be alone(at least in Europe)and allies only with Iran and maybe China. Europeans understand that Russia is trying to exhert its remaining influence and scare tatics on the former Soviet Satellite states. It won't work. If Russia was serious about wanting to deter the Czech Rep. and Poland from having these (MDS)Missle Defense Shield, bases they would work the oil and gas leverage and not the tatic of scaring them into submission with military might, especially since the natural resources scare tatics have worked well in the past with Ukraine and Georgia. Besides the Russian military however they like to think its strong...really it isn't. It's around 70% weaker then the Soviet Military was at in 1989 and is 90% weaker then the United States military is right now. This is just a scare tatic to try to show that Russia still has influence on Eastern Europe. And obviously from the Czech Republic's and Polish Prime Ministers, Russia has absolutely no influence on them at all. Though with Putin at the helm anything is possible.

[JL in TEXAS]

This will never change...What, do you expert for the Americans to let any rival nation get the upper hand on us? It won't happen... We realize that many other countries hate us for a variety of reasons, primarily out of jealousy...We have a right to protect ourselves however we see necessary...And since this system is not an offensive system, Putin's objections serve only as affirmation that his nation's military is no match for ours in the theatre of ICBM warfare...

[Viper40]

Bush offered the technology to Russia, but they refused. Putin is old KGB, and always will hate the West.

[Emzy Veazy III]

The United States of America's missile shield is the old anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system plan of yesteryear reintroduced after decades of incubation. The Nixon White House signed a treaty with the Soviet Union which allowed the U.S.S.R. to keep its ABM system around Moscow while the U.S. dismantled its start-up ABM system on American soil in Montana and other Western States in America. As the Russian economy has taken a breather and continues to restructure itself, its Soviet Union military industrial complex and scientific competitiveness is not down for the count as shown by the stability and reliability of its space program's hardware and serviceability as NASA falters in the U.S.. The quid pro quo is still on between the Americans and the Russians. There are still two superpowers, not just America as the lone world gun slinger. As an American from across the Atlantic Pond, I add to your evolving perspective and debate.

[Colin]

If I read the article correctly, it is a missile system designed to protect the US from attack. So why must the US put the missile bases on foreign soil ? And why would any host nation allow such a thing ? The installation would not be under their control and would not protect them from attack. If anything, it would make them a target. I do not care about the US developing such a system but it is sheer arrogance for the US to ask other nation to host such installation and stupidity for the host nation to accept.

[Peter Copping]

I doubt this has anything to do with Russia. The only power likely in the near future to be be a risk to the USA is China (should Taiwan declare independence.) Hence the existing deployment in Alaska and California. It has also demonstrated anti missile capabilities. However people should not sneer at Russian delivery systems. It run a nice little satellite launch buisness.
ABM systems do destablise MAD and we are perhaps right to distrust both Putin and Bush and the Chinese Peoples Army. Incientally it was reported that only ten silos were envisaged in the first US ABMS deployment in Europe. How fast can you reload?

[Jaro Belicka]

Czech and Polish people and their governments would make gravely mistake to swallow hook and sinker offered by USA and accept missile shield in their country.
Firstly USA is in a business to rule the world and that will not happen. Antichrist will not rule. There is only one more ruler going to come and it will be Christ.
Second, USA is bankrupt already. What keeps USA still going is printed paper $, control of Middle East oil and opium from Afghanistan. If USA is to loose oil control overnight then USA economy would collapse overnight.
Then where those missile shields will be installed, those countries will be first targets in conflict.
Also installing those in central Europe will be a disaster for European Unity which of course does not suit to USA hegemony. USA always tends to divide and rule.
Polish and Czech and whole Europe people should reject any attempt in bringing USA cancer onto their territory. Reject USA weapons on European territory all together. USA can install shields all over their country. They will need them as they created too many enemies all around the world.

[B]

I do not agree with Russia's stance of aggression over this. It is none of their bloody business. It is between the USA, Poland and Czech or any other country that wants to be involved.
Poland and Czech rid themself of Commie Russian influence nearly 20 years ago and I am sure they are ready for Russia to sit down and shut up.

It doesn't matter to me the intentions of USA helping these nations or not or if there are any secret conspiracies to use them what ever.... It is up to those two countries and NOT Russia.

In this day and age with Russia feeling terrorism as well (and their innocent citizens dying in bombings) they should try to unite with other countries and ally themself if nothing else for a resistance against bombings and such. They should NOT meddle in other countries decisions for protection or defence. I mean seriously!
Why do they want to set them self apart and become a new threat entirely?
I thought the cold war was over?